Delectable Shelter

A comedy thick with dark humour, Delectable Shelter presents you with the challenge of how to build a new civilisation after humans destroy planet Earth. Inside a bunker decorated in uninspiring grey, leafy wallpaper with a single painting of the countryside is a family of four “rich white people” and the scientist who built it. The Earth is not fit for humans to emerge for another 350 years so now these five people are the genetic foundations of the future population. There is a waspy mother who is always happy and likes “nice things”, the hard-working husband who is keen to start progress ASAP, their slow-witted son who is told to stretch his legs when feeling anxious, and his artsy wife who was a singing teacher.

The mother and son get the most laughs as they portray caricatures of a wealthy family that ignores emotion. The humour can be pretty dark and often takes you a bit by surprise. The scenes of the reproduction program are particularly funny and go that step further than you expected. But it doesn't stop there; there's also a selection of deceased human lunch meats, “man-made” protein shots and personal milking cups for all the men's precious sperm.

Aside from the black humour, Delectable Shelter consists of three acts that are broken up with a choir singing '80s love songs to the crowd, as it is the only music that was left in the bunker. The singing is impressive and the actors are clearly professionally trained. It is pretty remarkable to hear I Want To Know What Love Is sung by a church-like choir. The play is funny, surprising and doesn't take itself too seriously. There are elements of seriousness from time to time but for the most part the show is trying to make you laugh and in that it does succeed.

Brisbane Powerhouse (finished).